Last year, women’s basketball fans old and new caught a Fever only Caitlin Clark could cure–and her virality extended far beyond your typical college athlete’s level of fame. Not only was Clark the overwhelming number one draft pick for the Indiana Fever, but she gained a slew of followers, NIL deals, and influence along the way.
At the conclusion of her college career, Clark had 1.5 million Instagram followers–47% of which she gained during the weeks of the 2023 and 2024 Final Four–a number that currently sits at 2.2 million after the WNBA Draft. These numbers have paid off for Clark–literally.
According to On3, Clark was the 12th highest NIL earner in women’s basketball in 2023, with a valuation of $154,000. This year, that ranking shot up to #1, with a valuation of $3.1 million–over a 20 fold increase in NIL sponsorships. That’s not including other deals, like Ice Cube’s $5 million dollar offer for Clark to play in the Big3 league (which she declined in favor of the WNBA Draft) and a recent staggering $28 million shoe deal with Nike.
Not only that, but earlier this spring, Clark became only the fourth female athlete to appear on Saturday Night Live, and the first and only basketball player to wear Prada to a draft night at the WNBA Draft. It’s safe to say that last season, Clark was the overwhelming face of women’s basketball, and her momentum isn’t slowing down any time soon.
To be clear, Clark deserves all the praise, accolades, and awards–but there are pros and cons to this situation. While it’s great for women’s basketball that there are more eyes on the game as a whole, UConn star Paige Bueckers discussed the drawbacks of allocating so much attention to one player when she was asked if she was ready to take over the title of women’s college basketball poster star next season during the women’s tournament this year.
“I think it’s more important for the game to share the spotlight to grow the game and show all the stars of college basketball and not just focus on one particular player,” Bueckers said in response. “Whether it be me, Caitlin, JuJu [Watkins], Angel [Reese]. There’s so many names in college basketball now that are huge, that are stars that deserve credit.”
Through no fault of her own, Caitlin Clark dominated sports media headlines last season, but what much of sports media devoted less coverage to was the fact that there’s plenty of star power to go around in women’s college basketball, as both Clark and Bueckers have discussed in the past. It’s clear that sports media has a long way to go in terms of fair and balanced coverage of women’s basketball players, and the following athletes deserve plenty of media attention next year.
Paige Bueckers, G, UConn
Of course, Paige Bueckers belongs in the conversation of best returners in women’s college basketball. Although her career has hit a few speed bumps due to injuries, Bueckers’s first full returning season was nothing short of electric. Averaging 21.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and a 55% field goal percentage, Bueckers is a multifaceted weapon for the Huskies, a team that is set to make another deep postseason run this coming season.
Juju Watkins, F, USC
Juju Watkins’s freshman season was nothing short of incredible, following only Clark in scoring last season with an average of 27.1 points per game. Watkins’s youth didn’t show in the postseason either, as she scored over 20 points in every March Madness game, including a 30-point performance against Baylor and double-doubles in points and rebounds against Kansas and UConn. Following USC’s loss to the Huskies in the Elite Eight, head UConn Coach, Geno Auriemma had two words of advice for Watkins in the postgame handshake line: “Go pro.”
It’s no exaggeration to say that Juju is that good–as a freshman. Thankfully for USC fans, Watkins likely won’t be going anywhere for a long time.
Kiki Iriafen, F, USC
USC is gearing up to become college basketball’s next superteam with two talented forwards in Watkins and former Stanford star, Kiki Iriafen suiting up for the Trojans next year. Although Iriafen is a senior, she’s set to have a huge impact on an already-stacked Trojans team after having a breakout junior year for the Cardinal.
Last season, Iriafen averaged a 19.4 point, 11 rebound double-double on the year, including back-to-back double doubles in Stanford’s final two postseason games. If rebounding wins championships, USC is a serious title contender, and Iriafen could play a key role in a deep postseason run for her new team.
Audi Crooks, C, Iowa State
A list of clutch postseason performers isn’t complete without Iowa State center Audi Crooks. As a freshman for the Cyclones last season, Crooks put up impressive postseason numbers, including a 40-point, 12 rebound performance against Maryland after averaging 19.1 points and 7.8 rebounds for the 2023-24 season.
Not only that, but Crooks played a key role in neutralizing first-round WNBA Draft pick, Cameron Brink in Stanford’s second-round postseason game this past March, holding Brink, who averaged over 17 points a game last season, to a paltry eight points while forcing her to foul out with just over two minutes left in the game. Although the Cyclones lost in overtime, Brink praised Crooks’s skills after the game, telling the freshman: “You’re already good. You’re going to be so good.”
Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame
a look at 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 of the records @HannahHidalgo owns now:
ND & ACC freshman scoring
ND single-season steals
ND freshman single-game scoring
Fastest in NCAA history to reach 100 steals
Fastest in ND history to reach 500 career points pic.twitter.com/xqKuPCvyNJ— Notre Dame Women’s Basketball (@ndwbb) April 21, 2024
There was something in the women’s basketball water last season when it came to high performing freshmen, and Hannah Hidalgo epitomizes this trend. After losing star guard Olivia Miles to injury last year, plenty of people thought that Notre Dame’s postseason hopes were in jeopardy for 2024. Enter freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo.
Not only was Hidalgo 6th in the nation in scoring last season, averaging 22.6 PPG, but she led the nation in steals, averaging 4.6 per game. Hidalgo creates controlled chaos with her fast-paced style of play and is a nightmare on both ends of the court–both huge assets for the Fighting Irish.
MiLaysia Fulwiley, G, South Carolina
Curry Brand just dropped 10 billboards in Columbia, South Carolina to celebrate MiLaysia Fulwiley’s NCAA championship with @GamecockWBB. 🏆
Tagline reads: “Hometown Hero. Homegrown Champion.” pic.twitter.com/O0jfI7T8L7
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) April 10, 2024
This list wouldn’t be complete without some representation from the defending champion Gamecocks and MiLaysia Fulwiley definitely lives up to the hype around her name. Yet another outstanding freshman from the 2023 recruiting class, Fulwiley will be a star for South Carolina for the foreseeable future.
A quick glance at Fulwiley’s stats doesn’t reveal too much–she averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.While these are respectable stats that assisted South Carolina’s championship run, none of them break the top 150 in the nation. However, the stat to pay attention to is Fulwiley’s average minutes played–it’s no small feat that Fulwiley contributed double-digit scoring for the Gamecocks in her freshman campaign only averaging 18.4 minutes per game, so you can go ahead and double all of her stats to get a feel for her potential as a starter and future key player for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are looking to complete their “Repeat Tour” with a second-consecutive championship next year, and it’s safe to bet that Fulwiley will be a key contributor to their legacy quest for the next few years.
